Verizon Reverses Decision To Block Pro-Choice Group's Text Message Program

The New York Times:

Saying it had the right to block "controversial or unsavory" text messages, Verizon Wireless last week rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group, to make Verizon's mobile network available for a text-message program.

But the company reversed course this morning, saying it had made a mistake.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[kardwell]

03:54 PM on 09/28/2007

Hey -- maybe my letter to the Senior Vice President of Investor Relations threatening to escalate a boycott made a difference after all. Hit 'em on the bottom line....

[Purple Girl]

08:40 AM on 09/28/2007

It's nice when smarter heads prevail- it happens so infrequently these days- they're becoming moments of miracles.

[drblack]

11:04 PM on 09/27/2007

Hit them where it hurts...their pocketbook.
Verizon wants to control the internet as well and this would be bad PR in the effort to convince people that verizon cares about freedom.
If Hillary is elected you will find the internet will change into something akin to commercial TV.

[realitytrumpsbull]

10:37 PM on 09/27/2007

One thing about Verizon is that it's one of those companies that kind of seems to have one
foot in both the US and Mexico, countries where
views on the issue of abortion are fairly
different. The predominant view in Mexico by all appearances seems to have a commonality
with a more Catholic attitude, where in the US,
it's recognized that birth control is an
important resource to fight poverty and
overpopulation.

You have to wonder, if they're trying to do
real-time censorship of people's text messages,
what might be happening to all that business
information people talk about on the cell phone? Maybe it's no accident that the richest
man in the world lives in Mexico? Hmmm...

[Merrysunshine]

03:47 PM on 09/27/2007

dump Verizon!

[ghostsofamerica]

04:25 PM on 09/27/2007

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/ellsberg.php?articleid=11674


Daniel Ellsberg Speech, "WE HAD A COUP". GOP vote against Habeaus Corpus.

[CalculatedRiskTaker]

07:25 PM on 09/27/2007

Cancelled my Verizon Wireless 4 months.

T-moble, better price and service

[VOTER]

03:06 PM on 09/27/2007

Wow! I sent them an email early this morning and got them to change their minds.

Pat on the back!!!!

The corporate Boo-sh Gang Fools at the company should be fired. After all they are taking order from a Chimp.

[Nyla785]

02:44 PM on 09/27/2007

Too many big communications companies are trying to control their customers in order to put too many political policies into effect. They don't seem to know they are crippling their own businesses.

[anIndependent]

02:18 PM on 09/27/2007

Oh, great. Next the church will be asking to text bible messages. By the way....pro-choice has been around for thousands of years....Known as keep your legs closed ladies.

[Destin]

02:27 PM on 09/27/2007

And allow me to speak for all men, keep the zipper zipped up. Or the buttonfly buttoned. ;)

[Podewumun]

02:33 PM on 09/27/2007

Verizon said (sic) it had the right to block "unsavory or controversial" text messages.

There goes thumb sex.

[forpeace]

02:32 PM on 09/27/2007

*

"anIndependent
........Known as keep your legs closed ladies."
===============================

Your message is UnIntelligent and Abusive towards females!

*

[kkuchenb]

01:42 PM on 09/27/2007

Who needs Verizon? Sign up for Working Assets. They actually support NARAL and many other progressive groups.

[AlP]

01:33 PM on 09/27/2007

Why on Earth would they care about what is being text messaged here? It's not like you're planning terrorist attacks.

[mrcontinental]

01:42 PM on 09/27/2007

If it's spam I sure as hell don't want any. Last time I checked text message cost money, but even if they are free I do not want spam.

[Destin]

02:25 PM on 09/27/2007

Text messaging costs money?? LMFAO, that's like 20th century mentality isn't it?? We should drag the USA into the 21st century and start using email, instant messagers and voip and all those other "evil" things that are free or cheap.

It's no wonder that anything that is a threat to capitalism, is against the law. Someone could murder a member of my family, and it be caught on film with 500 witnesses, it's a crime that will largely go unsolved and little investigated for decades.

But cheat on your tax return, or rig a way to get free television, or rig a way to piggy-back on someone's wireless.... and the cops will have your ass in jail in no time, sometimes the very same day.

It's obvious, not only is our economy driven by money, but also our laws are driven by money. ;)

[Podewumun]

01:43 PM on 09/27/2007

Exactly how long, do you think, did it take before some genius at Verizon figured out they'd be losing money?

[UserLoser]

01:00 PM on 09/27/2007

Verizon might as well be named Republican Phone Company they give Billions to the Republican and bupkis to Democrates. They are the Nazi phone company.

[Destin]

12:05 PM on 09/27/2007

Odd, Verizon and other text messaging services allow drug dealing to be used on their text messaging, lol, but they don't want pro-choice messages. Odd behaviour.

[average joe]

12:21 PM on 09/27/2007

Your right I don't want my tax money going to raiseing a bunch of unwanted kids.

[Qbear]

12:04 PM on 09/27/2007

Verizon probably does have the legal right to deny NARAL services, but Verizon you just lost EXACTLY one half of America as potential customers....REALLY REALLY Stupid businesss decision.

[TheIndependenceParty]

11:48 AM on 09/27/2007

Just sent to Verizon:
Dear Verizon,

I have read several accounts today which indicate that VZW has blocked text messages to its subscribers based upon the content or subject of the messages, and not based upon the request from the receiving customer. As you are well aware, voice telecommunications are covered by provisions in Federal law to preserve the privacy of parties. Carriers, such as VZW may not block voice communications between parties, and may not reveal the calls themselves, are the parties thereto without being served a warrant describing probable cause.

The revelation that text messages from NARAL were blocked on your network is of great concern to me as a matter of Freedom of Speech, and a preemptive prohibition against that organization's right to communicate information to members, and other parties. In my view, VZW has exercised crass judgment in exempting text messages from privacy provisions that you know include voice, e-mail, and access to the web. To further exercise prohibition of text messages based upon your own corporate judgment of propriety, or worse, that of a third party or government entity, who has requested it, is a travesty and an abuse of the license granted to VZW.

I demand that VZW immediately cease and desist from imposing any restrictions upon the transmission of text messages based upon subject or content. As a customer and subscriber for wireless and landline services, I am appalled that VZW and Verizon would tacitly exercise such censorship. This is particularly true in light of Verizon's recent willing cooperation to release private records to the Federal Government without the requisite warrants under numerous federal statutes.

I choose my vendors based upon rates, service, and ethics. I am dismayed and ashamed to say that VZW and Verizon have failed miserably as good citizens, adherents to the statutes which govern you, and fair and open partners to its customers.

[asl3676]

12:05 PM on 09/27/2007

Verizon backed off...A win for free speech....

[notyourproblemYET]

12:16 PM on 09/27/2007

wheres the link?

[ResidentChimp]

11:44 AM on 09/27/2007

It was the correct choice. We already kill 1 million unborn babies a year, why make it any easier?

[average joe]

12:24 PM on 09/27/2007

Who many of the unwanted kids have you adopted?

[asl3676]

12:33 PM on 09/27/2007

It's called free speech. We wouldn't want the constitution to get in the way of your religious beliefs.